


I'm the Spy

by That_Guy_Kurt



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux Has Issues, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:40:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22560379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Guy_Kurt/pseuds/That_Guy_Kurt
Summary: I can't believe Hux deserved better. What happens when he wakes up in the trash? Call the Resistance? Post TROS fix-it. Give me Resistance! Hux. I'd love to see him pull an agent Kallus and go full turncoat for a piece of ass.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

"I found the spy."

That was the last thing that Armitage Hux heard before the sound of a blaster and a sharp pang in his chest sent him under. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since then, but he figured he was still alive. At least, for now. The smell of rot, and decay was all around him, and there was something weighing his good leg down. It was hard to see, but he could just barely make out the glow of red lights lining the span of the walls. 

The compactor? The incinerator? He couldn't be sure which. He'd never seen the inside of one, before now. Dread quickly found itself in the pit of his stomach. After all he had done, all he had sacrificed, to be thrown out like garbage. The thought sickened him. He tried to sit up, and a sharp pain reminded him of the blast mark on his chest. Using his right hand he traced the throbbing ache. It was too dark to see properly, but bringing his hand close he could smell the iron of his blood. 

He winced. Hux had always had a solid paranoia in regards to those around him, and he found himself grateful for the metal plating that lined his tunic, and the breast of his long coat. It had been strong enough to weaken the blast, but he couldn't yet tell by how much. On top of that there was a growing soreness in his leg that throbbed in sync with his heartbeat. 

Breathing hurt, moving hurt, but staying where he was wasn't an option. If he didn't find a way out, and fast, he really would be dead. He rolled into his side groaning and hissing at the pain. He reached out grabbed a piece of bent metalwork. It was long enough to use, but it was rough with rust or filth. Hopefully it would support him enough to maneuver his way out of this death trap. 

Putting all his weight onto the makeshift cane and his one good leg, he brought his broken body up to stand. He spit blood, ridding the metal taste from his mouth, and realized for the first time that he was not the only body down here. Over to his right he could make out two different sets of white armor, and not far to his left he could see the unmistakable black uniform of what was once an officer like him. In the dim light he could just make out the rot of flesh. dark colored hair was matted and pulling away from the skull. It made his stomach turn. It wasn't that he didn't know things like this happened, except usually he didn't have to smell it. 

In an odd way it gave him hope. If the body had been down here long enough to decay to that extent, then perhaps if it were the incinerator, it was in need of repair. Hux forced his body forward, propping his weight onto the metal support. The footing was rough. There were soft spots that threatened to swallow him whole, and sharp edges of broken glass and metal. Any misstep would surely be fatal. At long last he clamored to a small panel on the wall of red lights. There he accessed the console. 

Hux read a small diagram that stated he was in one of the lower levels of the Steadfast . It was a containment center that opened to an air lock. He mused at the use of a symbol indicating potential biohazards. The more he learned, the slimmer his odds seemed to be. But if he were anything, Hux was a survivor. He would survive, if only to make sure General Pryde suffered at his hands personally. Spite had never failed in keeping him alive. When he felt the pain rattle his body, he bit down on the inside of his cheek and focused on the anger, and his plan.

Surely if there were other bodies lying about in this filth, they could at least have something useful. If he could fashion something airtight, he could slip out through the airlock and send a distress signal on a Resistance frequency. He smiled a thin smile. They may not be much better, but he had plenty of secrets to bargain with.

Just as he had drafted a plan, a tremor shook the whole of the ship. Were they under fire? In battle? He couldn't even be sure if they were in the same sector anymore. A siren blared, but it sounded far away. He would have to act quickly, before the Resistance blew the whole ship to stardust. He limped forward, and the room seemed to sway around him. How much blood had he lost? Another blast hit the ship, and knocked Hux to his knees. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a faint warble from below. Hux could tell he was fading, if he was lucky it could be something he could use. He started digging, sifting through the jagged pieces of debris beneath him. He brushed off something hollow. 

It was a Droid, and by the looks of it some kind of Resistance astromech. Hux guessed it must have been switched on by the blast. He could only see the domed top of the head and worked to uncover its cylindrical torso. The droid worked too. It seemed to focus and refocus its "eye" calculating something Hux couldn't see. Then with a warble and a chirp, it forced itself free with it's boosters. It landed on top of the garbage and rolled towards Hux with a thankful beep. "You're welcome." He turned his head to survey the area again and sighed. "Talking to a Droid." Hux said dryly.

Another blast hit the ship, and it began to tilt dangerously to one side. The droid squeaked anxiously and looked over to Hux. Without wasting time, he replied quickly. "The stabilizers are down, we need to get off this ship. Now." 

The droid's head spun around and it wheeled over to the panel that Hux had checked only moments before. It warbled something that Hux couldn't quite hear and accessed a small port below. The huge doors to the airlock opened with a hiss, and Hux expected to feel the vacuum of space. Instead what he saw was at the least atmosphere. The sky was full of falling debris and burning metal. The ground was still far away but looked like grey Ash. Hux didn't believe in hell, but he did believe in war. The air around him smelt only of burnt metal, oil, and death. This was war, and he was losing. The first order was falling from the sky, and he was about to be buried in their same grave. Hux stood, leaning dangerously to one side. He pulled out a small comm from his side pocket and pushed a flat round button.

He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. Hux took off the long black coat that signified the first order, and his officers belt. If he was found, he wanted to look as sympathetic as possible. Things were getting fuzzy. He struggled to focus as he watched the world he had once believed in fall to pieces. He could almost make out a small craft, a fighter maybe? It looked almost black, or maybe orange? He was just so tired. He heard a worried beep as the room whirled around him. It felt like he was falling, but he couldn't be sure. Everything sounded so muffled and far away. There was only the taste of iron on his tongue, and then quiet darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when you have a known reputation for being a war criminal? Not good things usually. Making friends is hard, Hux should try it out some time.

Everything was fuzzy as Hux tried to get his bearings. He felt worse than he could ever remember. Everything was too bright, and the light hurt his eyes. Something nearby droned on a steady beep. Beep. Beep. Heartbeat, he reasoned to himself. Hux tried to raise a hand to shield his eyes, and noticed for the first time that he couldn't. He strained his eyes to see that his wrists were strapped down to the handles of a bleach-white hospital bed. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips, and it sharply reminded him of the blast to his chest.

Hux winced and looked down. He was wearing a paper gown, and there was a thin cotton-like blanket over his legs. He could just make out the shape of gauze on his injured leg. The soreness was set in now, and even without moving he could feel how stiff his body was. Looking up, hux could see the line of an IV slowly dripping clear liquid. By how he felt at the moment, he guessed that it was less pain killer, and more likely electrolytes of some type. 

The door to the med bay opened with a hiss, and a tall woman in a white coat stepped in. She had dark brown skin and wore her hair natural, pulled back into a tight bun. There were round glasses pushed up to the bridge of her nose, and freckles dotting her cheeks. Hux eyed her as she checked over something on a data pad. "You're finally awake." She said without looking up.

"Finally?" He asked slowly. " How long have I been here?"

She paused for a moment, and tapped something on the data pad. "Four days." She looked up, and stepped towards him. Her eyes scanned over the numbers on Hux's monitor, and she checked his IV drip. "Your vitals are stable." She said flatly. To Hux, she seemed almost annoyed. Perhaps she was hoping that he wouldn't wake up, and how much easier it would be to simply write him off as another casualty.

"Are you going to tell me where I am?" Hux asked, trying to sound more collected than he felt. 

She turned to meet his eyes, and he could tell she was not at all happy. "No, I'm not. You're lucky to even be here. And quite frankly, if the general himself hadn't picked you up I'm not sure anyone else would have." She paused for a moment weighing his reaction. "So no, I'm not offering you any information."

"The General?" Hux remarked. If the ship he saw really did belong to the general, it didn't take long to work out what happened. General Dameron. So Poe really was the one that responded to his distress call. 

The woman sighed and ignored him. She obviously took no joy in her current predicament. "I've alerted the bridge that you're awake. I'm sure they'll have questions for you." Hux didn't respond. He was trying his best to seem unimpressed by the whole affair. Truth be told, he felt every bit as vulnerable as he looked. Hux was at the mercy of the Resistance, the very sect he had once sought to rid the Galaxy of. Even if he did funnel valuable information to the cause, it was unlikely they would be very merciful once he was out of secrets to spill. He would have to keep talking, and keep them talking in return. That was all he could do until he got his strength back. 

There was a beeping sound from the other side of the door. Seconds later the door slid open. In the doorway Hux could see an astromech droid and a posted guard off to the side. The guard stood casually against the door frame as if the blaster rifle in his hands was no more than a toy. The droid wheeled in, and the door closed behind it cutting short Hux's line of sight. He recognized the droid as the same one that he'd found in the belly of the Steadfast. Although it looked like it had been cleaned up a bit since then. It's domed head still showed signs of age, scratches from misuse, and battle damage, but in the light he could see a light green paint decorating the otherwise silver metal of the droid. It warbled and beeped as it rolled up to the side of his bed. It seemed almost as if it were happy to see him, but Hux knew such things were impossible.

"Hello again R9." The woman said brightly. Her whole attitude shifted as she smiled warmly to the droid. In turn the droid buzzed and chirped something in response. "Yes I can see it did you good, all cleaned up now." She patted it's silver finish as though she were petting an animal. Hux didn't know quite what to think of it, but he must have done something to draw attention to himself. "You know you really ought to thank him." The woman said turning back to Hux.

"Thank him?" He asked amused. 

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, for saving your life. If it weren't for this little guy, you'd be dead."

Hux tried to scoff, but it came out as more of a wheeze. "I'm the one that pulled him out of that miserable place." 

"Congratulations." She said sarcastically. "But that's not what I meant."

Hux eyed her curiously as she crossed her arms.

"You have quite the reputation, Armitage Hux. So when you were brought to the med bay, it garnered more than a little attention. We did try to keep it quiet, of course, but you've made so many...fans...throughout your career. R9 here caught someone with a blaster about to show you their appreciation." 

Hux's mouth twitched as he looked over to the droid. "I see." He said softly. The droid chirped and showed off an arm that sparked with electricity. "Well, that explains the guard." Hux said, and he wasn't really sure which one of them he said that to.

The droid beeped again, and signaled an incoming transmission. The woman stepped towards the astromech, "from the general? Yes patch it through." A light on the front of the droid's head adjusted and beamed a blue-white hologram into the room. It was General Dameron. 

"Dae-na! I hope he's not giving you too much trouble down there." Poe smiled, his voice was full of Hope.

"Nothing I can't handle, Poe. Besides, if he gets chatty, Cayne will know what to do with him."

Cayne. Hux thought, that must be the name of the guard.

"How you feeling over there Hugs?" Poe jibed.

"I've certainly felt better."

"The first order really did a number on you." Poe stated it more as a fact and without pity.

"Them... and your friend." Hux said looking down at his leg.

"Well then I think you can call us even. Listen, I know this is still new to you, but I know you can be a valuable asset to the New Republic. If you're willing to work with us, when the new Senate is in place you'll have something to show for yourself." Poe paused for a moment, but Hux didn't speak. "In the meantime, I think it would be best for you to stay out of harm's way. As soon as Dae-na gives you the all-clear, I've got just the place for you. Think of it as a sabbatical."

Hux was skeptical. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" 

"Of course you do, but you're not going to like the alternative. You do have information we need. A lot of it, so like it or not, we need you alive. So you can have an extended stay in a prison cell, or use your time to actually help someone. Your call." 

Hux sighed. "Fine." It felt like giving up, but he was nothing if not patient.

"Good, that settles it, as soon as you can be moved, Cayne and R9 here will accompany you off-world."

Poe gave a quick dismissal to them and the light flickered off. Then Dae-na walked over to a drawer and pulled out a glass vial. She withdrew some of the clear liquid into a syringe, and added it to Hux IV drip. "You heard the general, you need your rest. This will help you sleep."

He wanted to say something back and voice his protest, but as the aches were soothed away, he faded into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think! I've got a lovely idea if where I'm headed, but I'd be remiss without thanking my lovely wife for all of the Star Wars convos. Also her work is the shit! go read it @reywhomst


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a trap! But is it?

Several days had gone by, and time seemed to blur them together. Doctor Dae-na always came in at the beginning and end of her shifts. That of course left hours of mostly silence and the beep, beep, beep, of Hux's heartbeat. It was enough to drive most anyone mad. But Hux had known worse, so a few days of near silence weren't going to break him so easily. In any case, It was far better than being grouped together with strangers and miscreants in a cell. Doctor Dae-na had also told him rather pointedly that it was a good thing that he had received medical attention when he did. Evidently having open wounds in a trash pit was bad for your health. He sighed.

Hux kept meticulous track of how long he had been there. The first four days, plus the five he'd been awake for. Nine days. The thought made him uneasy, and he sighed. The pain in his chest had lessened some, as well as the pain in his leg,and yet the restraints on his wrists remained. Any nutrients he needed were supplied to him through the IV, but simple things like moving the hair out of his eyes required outside help. That was the part he hated most, not being able to do for himself.

While Hux was fully absorbed in his thoughts on the state of his injuries, and was recounting the tiles on the ceiling (34 and a half), it barely registered when he heard the hiss of the door opening. It was only when R9 beeped a welcome that Hux looked over. It was the guard from the hallway. Cayne, Hux thought. 

"You look like shit." The man said with a warm voice.

Hux hadn't gotten a good look at his guard the first time, but now in the light he could see how imposing a frame the man had. Cayne was tall, taller than Hux, but much more built, and he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt that showed off the musculature of his arms. He had tan skin that suggested he'd spent more than enough time in the elements, and there were several scars tattered across the man's exposed skin.

Cayne spoke again, undeterred by Hux's silence. "I hear you don't talk much. No one's been able to get much out of you since you showed up."

"I'd be hard pressed to retrieve any information with my hands tied down." 

Cayne looked like he was weighing his options for a moment. Then with a wry smile he walked over to the hospital bed and undid Hux's binds. Hux gave him a suspicious look, but said nothing. R9 spun his head to look from Hux back to Cayne. "What are you gonna do, fight me?" Cayne mused. To this, Hux cracked a wry smile. They both knew he couldn't fight his way out of this room and there was little use in pretending. He brushed a strand of hair out of his face and moved to sit up. Hux sighed. The sharp pang in his chest had resigned itself to a dull ache.

"Why are you here?" Hux asked pointedly.

"Honestly?" Cayne shrugged. "I can serve my purpose from right here, and not have to stand outside your door for hours on end. I feel like I haven't seen anyone in a week." He laughed. Whatever Hux was expecting his answer to be, that clearly was not it. 

"So you're breaking protocol...because you got bored?" Hux arched an eyebrow at the man, who in turn just gave him a shrug. This man was either an idiot, or a brilliant liar. Hux couldn't tell which. He rubbed his face in his hands, feeling the stubble over his cheeks and chin. Damn. When was the last time he had shaved? It had been nearly ten days, honestly, he must look like a refugee by now. 

"It suits you." Cayne said playfully, motioning to the stubble.

Hux glared back at him. "Are you always like this?"

"No... usually I'm worse." Cayne laughed. "Look, as soon as you get the okay from Dae-na, you'll get a nice shower and shave. Promise."

Hux scowled. He wasn't going to fall for the nice guy act, and it felt almost insulting to think it was being tried on him. On top of that he felt disgusting. He had been stuck in the same hospital bed for more than a week, and he didn't even know how well they'd cleaned him up after finding him in the waste. The thought made his skin crawl. "What am I supposed to do until then, just sit here and rot? Surely the Resistance can do better than that."

Cayne seemed to take it as a challenge. "Well…" he said thinking. " Let's see what I can do." He went over to the cabinets on the wall and looked through the supplies. Cayne found a metal bowl and two small towels. He filled the bowl with warm water from the sink and came back to stand next to the bed. Handing the towels to Hux, Cayne removed a tray from the side of the bed and placed it on his lap. "There."

"What, no soap?" Hux shot back.

Cayne rolled his eyes and walked back to the counter. He checked another cabinet, cursed, then checked another. R9 only watched as if amused by the man's struggle. A moment later he walked back with a small tube of clear liquid in hand. "You're welcome." He said sarcastically. Hux barely batted an eye as he took the bottle from Cayne. 

The water was tepid at best, but it would have to do. Hux dipped one of the towels in the bowl and wrung it out. Even such a simple task proved difficult. It was like he couldn't get any strength to his hands. He tried to ignore the sensation as we washed his face, and then his arms. It was amazing how something so trivial made him feel better. He paused for a moment to look at the state of his body. It was as though he were taking inventory of the new bruises and gashes that dotted his arms. He ran his fingers over the large bruise from where the IV dripped life into his veins, and several smaller bruises that had turned a faded yellow-green. There were several new abrasions and cuts that had begun to scar over, their color a harsh pink against his flesh. Not to mention the array of old scars that painted a ghostly white on his already pale skin. Hux folded the second towel and set it aside. 

He looked up at his vigilant body-guard and jailer. It made Hux uncomfortable having someone stand so close, and to do what? Watch him towel off? On top of that, he realized, Cayne hadn't said a word since he started washing his face. To Hux, it was a tense and uneasy silence. He could imagine all of the ways this strange man was analyzing him. His cheeks flushed pink, suddenly hyperaware of his state of undress. "Do you mind?" Hux said curtly. Even now, he'd be damned if he didn't try to gain the upper hand. 

Cayne seemed to snap out of a daze. He took a step back and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Well it is my job to watch you." His words were innocent enough, but his eyes lingered just a second too long. 

Normally that was the point which Hux would have doubled down and asserted his authority. He'd executed people for less. But now, what power did he have? He had no authority, he had no rank, the only reason he was alive was because he was valuable. He huffed in frustration, still weighing his options. "Well it's not exactly as if I could escape." He said at last. "Besides, most people on the other side of that door have more lethal thoughts about what I deserve."

"Deserve." Cayne lingered on the word. "They don't get to decide what you deserve. That's not how the New Republic works, I'm just here to remind them of that. The only people who can really decide what your fate should be are you...and a jury. The First Order may have done that sort of thing under the table, but you will be treated fairly. So that means no midnight executions, and no convenient accidents." He ran a hand through his curly brown hair, as if trying to push away a thought. "Whatever intel you gave the Resistance must have warranted saving you." Cayne shifted on his feet so he could look Hux in the eye. "So you should make the most of what you got, not everybody gets a second chance."

Hux met his gaze for a moment, then looked away in thought. Hux knew he had built a reputation for himself. Cultivating his image from a worthless bastard child, to a ruthless First Order general took discipline and patience. He had done everything in his power to make his father's fury nothing but a shadow of his own. It had never occurred to him to want anything else. What was surviving, if not a struggle to find power? But now, if he truly was being given a second chance, what was it for? The concept eluded him. 

"Probably not the most upbeat conversation, huh?" Cayne said breaking the silence. "Just think about it okay? While you recover. In the meantime…" He pulled up a chair. " You're stuck with me." 

Cayne settled back into his more carefree attitude, but it did little to soothe Hux. By this point it was a mostly one sided conversation, Cayne went on about how the morale in the Resistance was at an all time high, and how even the weather seemed to lift people's spirits. Hux gave the occasional retort, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Listening to the steady drone of Cayne's voice, Hux was at least confident the man didn't want to kill him. That would have to do for now. He couldn't quite shake the suspicion of the man he now knew as Cayne, but it didn't matter. He was safer here than he probably would be anywhere in the Resistance, so he sat and listened to Cayne talk.

Several hours passed, although Hux couldn't tell how many. Cayne's ramblings had cycled through many subject matters, and had left Hux a near expert on petty gossip. He now knew the names of more than a few people, only by what rooms they had been seen leaving. Not that that sort of information was of much use to him. If he was being honest though, he couldn't deny that it was entertaining, and he wondered just how Cayne knew so much.

The hiss of the door grabbed both their attention. It was doctor Dae-na, and she looked from Cayne, to Hux, then back to Cayne. "What are you doing?" She asked, clearly not amused.

"Watching... the prisoner?" R9 beeped something that sounded like a snide remark.

"Yes...I can see that." She paused. "Can I have a word with you?" She gestured to the hallway that was just behind her. Cayne looked at Hux and shrugged as though he had no idea what she could want to say to him. 

As the door closed behind him, Hux struggled to hear what they might be saying on the other side. He could just barely make out Cayne's voice low and even. Several minutes passed before the door hissed open and they came back in. When they returned, Cayne looked like he had almost enjoyed whatever Dae-na had said to him, but Dae-na just looked weary. Whatever she said to him must not have gone how she'd hoped.

She walked over to the monitors next to Hux's bed and greeted the droid cheerfully. After she was satisfied with what data she saw, she tended to the bandaging surrounding his chest. What was once a near fatal shot was now a raised scar that was nearly red at its center. She sprayed it with something cold, and he flinched. She gave a proud sort of smile, that certainly seemed like she'd enjoyed that. Hux frowned. She finished redressing the wound before typing something in on a data pad. "You should be strong enough to be released tomorrow." She said flatly. "In the morning, you'll be able to bathe, and retrieve your personal items. You'll need to use a leg brace for about a month, but it's important that you try to walk when you can."

Hux didn't like the idea of having to use a brace, but he also knew she couldn't really enforce it, so he nodded and played along. "And after I'm released?" He asked.

"That's not up to me." She said simply. She turned and walked over to Cayne giving him a look. She spoke softly, and must have assumed Hux couldn't hear her. She was wrong.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Hux heard her whisper, and with that she left. Then it was just the two of them and the droid, alone in the white walls of the med bay. Hux sighed, he had expected Cayne to leave, but the man made no effort to. Instead he'd settled back into a chair, propping his feet up on a metal cart.

"What are you doing?" Hux asked him.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm staying, so I thought I might as well get comfortable." He stretched for effect.

"I thought your shift would be over by now." Hux said, genuinely curious this time.

"My shift? No. You are my job right now, and since you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together, I figured why not start now." Cayne laced his fingers together and leaned his head back into his palms.

"A lot of time together?" Hux asked.

"Yeah, for your...for a lack of a better word, your rehibilitation."

So they were going to recondition him, at least that's something he understood. But while he understood it, it didn't make him like the thought of it any better.

"Get some rest." Cayne said. " You're going to need it come tomorrow."

Hux decided not to argue with him, instead, he picked up the remote attached to his bed and dimmed the lights. It was an odd thing, having a person he'd only first spoken to hours ago, now sleeping less than ten feet from him. He watched the silhouette of Cayne's body rise and fall with each breath. It was calming enough, listening to the life of another person. Slowly, sleep found its way to him. Tomorrow promised to be a long day and he would be ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's day one and all! I hope you guys are liking my vision for this so far. Also I'd like to dedicate this work as always to my lovely wife @reywhomst
> 
> I wonder what will happen next chapter 😈😈


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up for possible triggers!!
> 
> This chapter begins with a flashback to Armitage's childhood. This scene depicts physical and phycological abuse from Brendol Hux. If you would like to skip that scene you can start at the *** after the italicized section. Happy reading.

_ *** _

_ Hux watched the scene play out. It was one that he had seen a thousand times before, and it was one that he'd probably see another thousand times over. He watched the boy, no more than ten, try to pick himself off the floor. There were tears in his eyes. His ginger hair was disshevled and there was a deep red starting to stain the light grey of his sleeve.  _

_ "Get up boy." A voice said harshly. "Get up, you pathetic bastard."  _

_ The man was wearing a first order officer's uniform, but his belt was gripped tightly in his stubby fingers. Blood was smeared over the silver of the once pristine buckle.  _

_ "Father please." The boy begged. _

_ Even now Hux could smell the bite of port wine on the man's breath. _

_ "Please?" The man mocked. " Please will get you nothing in life. The strong take what they need. And the weak?" He struck the child again with his belt. "What happens to the weak Armitage?" The child was silent all except for his sobs. " I said, what happens...to. the. weak?"  _

_ "Th-the weak are left to die. Left behind. Forgotten." The boy rushed through his words, hoping the answer would satisfy his father. _

_ "Good." Brendol crossed his arms, looking almost satisfied. "Now quit your sniveling and make yourself presentable." He drew a cloth from his coat pocket and used it to wipe the blood from his buckle. When he was done, he threw it on the floor where Armitage still sat motionless. Brendol clipped his belt back on, and turned to leave. "One day you'll thank me." He said curtly. _

_ When he was gone, Armitage curled in on himself holding the bloody sleeve of his tunic and sobbed. _

_ *** _

Hux woke with a start, the once steady droning of his heart monitor was now a jumbled mess of sound. He forced himself to take a deep breath, still shuddering at the memory. The thought angered him. Brendol was dead, he'd made sure of that. But even so, when sleep came, dreams like that were usually not far behind. He wondered for a moment just how many of his scars were the handiwork of his father. He took another slow breath before rubbing his eyes, which he was surprised to find wet with tears.  _ Shit.  _ He chastised himself as he rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"You okay?" Cayne asked gently.

"I'm fine." Hux spat.

R9 warbled something that almost sounded like worry. 

"I'm fine." Hux said again, trying to convince himself as much as them.

He was glad for the still dimmed light in the room. It made it easier to hide anything his face would give away. Besides, he had years of practice in making his voice even and believable. The heart monitor was a dead give away though, and he focused again on breathing, slow and deep, until it sounded more like the steady rhythm it had once been.

"Okay.." Cayne said sounding unconvinced.

In the awkward silence that followed he heard something, it sounded like footsteps. Cayne must have heard it too, because Hux could hear the man's body shift to his feet and hurry over to the side of the bed. In the dim light, a faint gleam of metal outlined a blade.

The door hissed open and the lights came on. In the doorway stood doctor Dae-na, her hair still tied back in a silk scarf. It looked like she had sprinted most of the way there. Cayne sheathed his blade and relaxed his composure. "You okay Doc?" Cayne asked casually.

"I got an alert from the patient's heart monitor." She said still catching her breath.

"Shit.. I forgot about that." He said eyeing hux.

"What are you talking about Cayne?" She asked.

He took a few steps forward so that he could talk in a more hushed voice. "I'm just saying, I may have forgotten about that little detail, when I was getting to know your patient better. I'll be more careful next time."

"Fuck, Cayne...I thought he was having a heart attack." She jabbed him in the side for good measure. "I've still got three hours before my shift, and you couldn't wait until I'd released him?" She gave him an exasperated look, before she walked over and flipped the monitor off. Hux avoided meeting her eyes, as he glared defiantly at Cayne. "Next time I'll knock.." she said annoyed. All Cayne did was shrug, as she left the room.

"What the hell was that?" Hux barked.

"What? I figured you didn't want her to ask...so I improvised."

"I don't want your pity." Hux spat back.

"I never said I pitied you." Cayne's voice took on a more serious tone. "The First Order took enough from the both of us."

"And what, exactly, did it take from me?" Hux said bitterly.

"Everyone in the First Order knew about Brendol. He was one sick son of a bitch."

"And what do you know about him?" Hux asked.

"I know enough." He said solemnly. "I know he perfected the stormtrooper program."

"I see." Hux said studying the man. "You were a trooper then?"

"I was. I defected before they failed at Exegol, but yeah...not something I'm proud of."

It made sense to Hux, like he had finally identified something he couldn't quite place. Of course this man was a former trooper. The way Cayne carried himself, now it seemed all too obvious.

"Why did you leave?" Hux asked with curiosity.

Cayne sat back down in his chair, and brushed the hair from his face. He thought for a long moment, like he was trying to sieve the truth away from the bad memories. "I left because of what they made me." He said at last. " I was sort of a wild card. They called me 'the reaper.'" he said bitterly. 

_ The Reaper.  _ Hux remembered the name. Phasma had told him about the trooper on more than one occasion. She was impressed by his ruthless efficiency on the battlefield, but equally annoyed with his behavior back on the Finalizer. Evidently, the squadron leader was a notorious flirt, and had spent many nights in various officer's quarters. It had amused Hux at the time, seeing Phasma be annoyed at the man's behavior. She had even warned Hux to stay away from him, that it was in his best interest to do so.

Now sitting across the room from him, Hux wondered for a moment what Phasma would have made of the irony of it all. "I do recall hearing of you CN3142."

"Cayne." The man corrected. "I don't do numbers anymore."

"I heard you were killed in battle.  _ Cayne."  _ Hux mused.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how many of us were written off as dead, rather than let others know how many defected."

Hux knew he was right, but the fact that he had been fed the same lies as a petty officer made his blood boil.

"Why come to the Resistance?" Hux asked. "Surely you could have supported yourself through mercenary work."

Cayne sighed. "I did, for a while. I did anything, everything I wanted to, just because I could. Because no one could tell me 'no.' And it nearly killed me." He looked away. "But I got my second chance, here, with the Resistance. Poe's a good judge of character and besides I always wanted to work for someone with a pretty face." Cayne was smiling now.

Hux cracked a smile too in spite of himself, and tried to play it off as looking aloof. "I see now why you decided to join the cause." 

"What about you?" Cayne asked. "What made you go turncoat?"

Hux shot him a look. "I needed Kylo Ren to lose."

Cayne laughed in earnest at that. "So you threw away years of brainwashing...for a grudge?"

"Why should I have to go down on a sinking ship?" Hux said eyeing his nails primly.

Cayne barked another laugh.

There was a knock at the door. "We're decent." Cayne said. Hux shot him a warning look as the door slid open, and doctor Dae-na entered looking tired. She was carrying a small parcel under her arm.

"Little miracles." She said under her breath. Then, she walked over to Hux. "These are yours as promised." She said handing him the parcel. "But I wouldn't wear that if I were you." Hux gave her a look that she ignored. Then she went to work taking out his IV, and he winced as the needle came out of his arm. He guessed that she wasn't being as delicate as protocol would have her be. When she was done, she walked over to the cabinets on the far wall and pulled out a brace. Hux scowled. "You'll need this until your leg heals properly." She said pointedly. Then she walked him through how to put it on and take it off, but all the while Hux sulked as though he were an idiot child being given basic information. When she was done she brought in a wheelchair and told Cayne in a hushed voice where the prisoner needed to be taken. Then she wished him luck, patted the droid goodbye and left.

"You don't honestly expect me to get in that?" Hux asked, eying the wheelchair incredulously.

"I do actually. Unless you'd rather walk?"

Hux took that as a challenge. He sat up from the bed and moved his feet over the edge. It didn't escape him, that when the doctor left, she left the ridiculous brace on his leg too. Cayne moved forward to catch him if he fell. Hux was able to stand on his feet, albeit not well. He all but limped to the doorframe, before choosing to sit in the wheelchair of his own free will. "Not one word." He huffed.

Cayne bit back a chuckle. "Don't know what you mean." He said smugly. Then he turned his attention to the droid. "R9, can you tell me if the coast is clear? I'm trying to avoid anymore attention today."

R9 accessed a small port near the door frame, then chirped the "all clear." With that, Cayne opened the door and pushed Hux out into the hallway. The hallway looked worlds different than the sterile white of the med bay. Hux noted how old and cracked the tile of the floors were, and how several of the lightning units needed to be replaced. They passed several other white doors before turning a corner to the turbolift. Cayne pressed an access card to the pad and the door opened. He pressed the number nine, before looking back at Hux. "Don't get any ideas." 

"Wouldn't dream of it." Hux said coyly.

When they got off on the ninth floor there were very few people around. Hux wondered what this floor was used for. He still couldn't tell if he was on a ship, or if he was on some Resistance base, and it bothered him, not knowing. They came to the door of another room, and it opened to Cayne's access card. R9 stayed in the hallway by the door promising to be a lookout for any threats. Inside, it was a small room with a bed and a door to a refresher. "As promised, shower and a shave." Cayne said playfully.

"It will have to do." Hux said biting back enthusiasm. He'd never in his life wanted a shower so badly.

"You sure you don't need help?" 

"Need help?" Hux's brow furrowed. "Why would I need help." He said sharply. Forcing himself to stand, he limped over to the refresher door and closed it behind him. He turned on the water and discarded both his bandages and his leg brace, along with the paper gown. He looked himself over in the mirror and frowned. Looking at his reflection, he saw now how much his beard had grown out. While it did some to hide the hollowness of his cheeks, the look was altogether unkept, disorderly even. Looking down, bright pink carved its way over his chest, and he looked even thinner than usual. Not to mention the obvious mark on his leg. He sighed. Shower first, then he'd make quick work of his facial hair.

Stepping into the shower he felt relief in the warm water. He grabbed the soap, and rubbed it against his pale skin. His thoughts drifted and he remembered the bodies he'd been thrown out with, how he'd been thought of as little more than garbage. The stench of decay. He scrubbed harder, washing his hands, under his nails, his face. He would rid himself of it, force the thoughts away. He would clean every bit of that memory away until it was nothing. He ran the soap through his hair, and turned his face to the water. His leg ached, but he ignored it. That was weakness, and well, didn't he know what to do with that? He turned to let the water run down his back, but as he put his weight on his injured leg it gave way underneath him and sent him splattering to the tiled floor. It happened so quickly that it took him a moment to realize what was going on. He tried to pull himself back up, but there was nothing to grab on to. It felt like defeat.

"Hux?" Cayne's voice called from the other side of the door. "You okay?"

"I'm bloody well fine!" He said with as much venom as he could muster. There was soap stinging his eyes and his injured leg was throbbing from where he'd landed on it.

The door opened. Cayne stepped in and saw him crumpled on the floor, looking every bit of a broken man. "Here, let me help." 

"Don't you dare. I don't need your help!" Hux sneered. 

"Of course you don't." Cayne said ignoring him. He walked over to stoop by his side.

Hux sat up and eyed the man dangerously. He drew a hand back to slap him, but Cayne caught his wrist easily. Hux tried with his other arm, but Cayne caught that one too. When Hux tried to headbutt him, Cayne simply spun him around to hold him chest to back, like he was nothing more than a tooka doll. After several minutes of thrashing, Hux finally tired himself out. 

"You done?" Cayne asked simply.

"I didn't ask you to help me." Hux spat, but he was too exhausted to fight anymore.

The water was still on, and by now Cayne was soaked. He let go of Hux's wrists and helped him lean forward. "Let's get the soap out of your eyes, you know, before you blind yourself?"

Hux made no sign of protest, as he let his new jailer run his thick fingers through his hair. Hux leaned forward and let the water wash over his face. "I think you're good now." Cayne said gently. He stood first and turned off the water. Hux looked up at him, Cayne was soaking wet. The sleeveless shirt he was wearing was plastered to his chest and his hair was half stuck to his face. "Let's get you up." Cayne said offering Hux his hand.

"I don-" Hux started.

"Don't need my help, I know, I know." Cayne cut him off. "Just take my hand." He sighed, but let the man help him to his feet. With Cain's help, he was able to limp over to the bed and sit down. Cayne went back for the towel and tossed it to Hux. 

"I figure at some point you'll want clothes?" Cayne said with a grin.

"Yes. I don't think I'm suited for those anymore." 

Cayne followed his eyes to the parcel that was left by the wheelchair. 

"Okay, if I grab you some clothes, you have to promise not to do anything stupid."

"Like what exactly? Try to escape in a bloody towel?" Hux furrowed his brow.

With a laugh Cayne left. He was gone for some time before returning with a bag in hand. Hux noted that he had already changed into dry clothes. "These are yours." He said throwing the bag at Hux. Inside there were several changes of clothes that looked nearly identical. There were dark colored boxers, a couple fatigue green sets of pants, and several shirts that were all white. Hux raised an eyebrow at him. "Welcome to the Resistance." Was all Cayne said in return. He sighed before putting them on. He felt ridiculous, these clothes had far too much give to them, but what alternative did he have?

"You should put your brace back on too." 

Hux rolled his eyes. "Only if it will get you to shut up."

Cayne retrieved the brace from the refresher and walked over to the bed where Hux still sat. He slid it on with ease, and with minimal protest was able to have it secured to Hux's injured leg.

Outside the door, R9 beeped excitedly. When the door slid open, Poe walked into the room and R9 followed. 

" Lieutenant Cayne and General Hugs, just the people I wanted to see." Poe said with a grin. Hux rolled his eyes at his "nickname" but Cayne gave him a smug grin, that all but said he was going to use that later.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up." Hux retorted.

"Yeah? Well the timing can get a little off when you're trying to rebuild a government." 

Cayne was clearly enjoying this, but Hux was less amused.

"You said before that you wanted to send me elsewhere, so that I'd be less of a liability. Is that still the case?"

"You don't waste any time do you Hugs, yes I've got a base in mind for you. Now don't get too excited because it's nothing fancy. But..if you're as good as the rumors say, I'm sure it will be more than enough for you to help the Resistance." Poe crossed his arms.

Hux eyed him suspiciously. "And do I get to know where this  _ base _ is?"

"I'm afraid that's classified Hugs, but your droid here already has the coordinates."

R9 beeped proudly.

" _ My  _ droid?" Hux accused.

"Yeah, your R9 unit, you know I never really thought of you as the type." Poe said with a grin.

"He's not mine, I found him in the garbage." Hux complained.

"It's like you were made for each other." Poe shot back with a smile. "Before I forget." He pulled a comm out of his pocket. "Any information you have you can send through this channel. If there are any remaining cells of the First Order, we need to know about it." He tossed the comm to Hux.

"I can assure you there are." Hux said in a matter of fact way.

Poe frowned and paced a few steps. "Listen, if there's anyone alive that knows how the First Order works and operates, it's you. Anything you know that can help put an end to the First Order for good, will be a note in your favor."

"For my trial." Hux said flatly.

"Just do what you can, and if you're honest." He shook his head. "If you're even capable of being honest, you can count on one star character witness."

"Fine." Hux said resigned.

"Good. Now the ship is primed and ready. R9 has your coordinates, Cayne will make sure you don't die, or make a break for it. So you're all good to go. Oh, and may the force be with you." Poe said with a grin.

Hux looked back at him with a look of disgust. He'd had more than enough encounters with the force for one lifetime.

"Ugh, don't." Hux said rolling his eyes.

Poe laughed and turned to leave. He gave a quick goodbye to the droid, now Hux's droid, R9 and then left.

"So.. General Hugs?" Cayne mused.

"Don't even think about it." Hux shot back.

"Sure, sure. Are you ready to get to work?"

"I might as well get this over with." Hux said sarcastically.

Cayne brought the wheelchair over to the bed. "Your starcruiser awaits."

Hux picked up the parcel and placed it in the bag that had his other change of clothes. It was an odd thing, realizing that everything he owned in the Galaxy fit in the space of his lap. He settled into the wheelchair, less gracefully than he would have liked, but neither one said anything about it.

They left the room and walked back towards the turbolift. R9 was in front, which placed Hux in the middle, with Cayne pushing his wheelchair from behind. They got into the turbolift and Cayne pressed the button for the ground floor. "Try not to look suspicious." Cayne said gently.

When the door opened to the hangar, Hux could see many ships of various sizes, and state of disrepair. He noted the Millennium Falcon had its own spot off to the side, and he couldn't help but smile knowing Kylo Ren's most hated ship sat right there in one piece. He could see the scavenger girl now, talking to someone through what looked like an earpiece. They were probably doing repairs. Hux tried to keep his head down, knowing full well once you broadcast your face to the universe, people tend to recognize you. 

Hux couldn't tell which ship they were bound for, but R9 seemed to know exactly where they were going, so he kept quiet. Hux tried not to look up, or draw attention to himself, but he could feel the eyes on him anyway. When they passed by the various mechanics all working away on the fighters and freighters, a hush seemed to follow them. It made him anxious, but he kept his eyes low. Eventually, R9 beeped, and rolled over to a boxy framed ship. It looked like it was built from the scrap of at least three different ships, and all of them old. Hux looked up to realize several people had followed them to the ship, his blood went cold.

"You!" A man called. He was middle-aged, and it looked like he was missing an eye. His face was red with anger. "Murderer!" He yelled pointing at Hux. "Monster!" He screamed. That was all it took, what was once silence was now a rallying cry. Someone behind him threw a bottle that clipped Hux across the eyebrow. Cayne moved to get in front of Hux as he pulled out his metal blade. 

"Stop!" A voice called sure and strong. Hux recognized her as the scavenger girl Rey. She stepped in between them, as she caught what they threw mid-air. "Let them pass." She said to the crowd. "This is not how the Resistance does things. We're better than that." A tall man made his way to the back of the group. He was wearing all black, and his hair was pushed back. His eyes met Hux's with surprise. 

"Kylo Ren?" Hux mouthed the words confused. No, he thought. This man seemed different.  _ Ben Solo.  _ He thought with a smirk. 

Cayne took the opportunity to push Hux's wheelchair up the ramp and closed the hatch behind them. "R9 get us out of here."

The droid whirred as the ship roared to life, and it wasn't long till they made the jump to hyperspace. Hux watched the lines of stars blur by, and realized for the first time he was bleeding. Cayne must have already realized, because he had found a med pack, and pulled out a bandage.

Hux was aware that Cayne was speaking, but he couldn't get the thought out of his head.

_ Murderer _

_ Monster _

Is that how he would be remembered? For the first time, he saw real value in his second chance. To be remembered as something other than a monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How long should a chapter be? Who the fuck knows. I have the flu, so it's as long as I say it needs to be.  
> Thanks for all the kudos guys!! I hope you're like my story so far  
> Also, a big thanks to my Beta, and my wife @reywhomst for coming up with the name "Reaper" because that's honestly just *chef's kiss*
> 
> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING BY FAR IS THAT MILLICENT WILL BE DEBUTING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Millicent!!
> 
> And also Hux has to do very domestic bullshit things and complains about it.

The trip through hyperspace seemed to lag forever. Hux was impatient to know where he was being shipped off to, and he thought if he could just see the planet from above, he might recognize it. Cayne, who had eaten most of a stale protein supplement, was now napping off the day's adventure, but Hux couldn't sleep. He decided that if rest was out of the question, maybe he could get some information out of the droid. Correction.  _ His  _ droid. He smirked at the thought. Even if he did have a certain appreciation for the mouse droids on the Finalizer, he'd thoroughly convinced himself it was because of their function that he liked them. They kept things neat and orderly. Besides giving the floors a resilient polish, they also managed to keep various softwares up to date, and send troopers in the right direction. They were an integral part of an ecosystem of maintenance as far as he was concerned. But to own a droid? He'd never considered it. 

He limped up to the cockpit where R9 was tracking their jump. The droid chirped a warm hello, and Hux made a move to quiet it. He pointed back towards the room where Cayne was still sleeping. "Shhh" Hux whispered. "He's asleep." He wondered for a moment how much droid's really knew about sleep, but regardless the droid seemed to take the hint. R9 warbled another greeting, but softer this time. "Can you tell me where we're going?" Hux asked.

The droid looked at him, and then back to the stars whirring by. R9 buzzed a negative.

Hux sighed in frustration. "And why not?" A series of blips and chirps informed him that it was for his own good that the location remain unknown. "You're quite a diplomatic droid, aren't you." He pinched the bridge of his nose, and tried to think of a plan. "But what if the very planet we're headed towards is one of the few remaining holdouts of the First Order?" R9 considered this for a moment, before apparently agreeing with this logic. R9 spun around to display a star map with a location highlighted in blue.

He couldn't honestly say he was surprised, but he was annoyed nevertheless. The planet on the star map was pitifully small. It was located in the outer rim, and instead of a name it was labeled "ISC4." He recognized the apparent code as one of the labels used by the former Empire. "Imperial solitary confinement four." He said with disdain. 

Hux heard something move behind him.

"You're a pushover R9." Cayne said in a groggy voice. 

"Maybe he just saw the logic of the situation." Hux argued. "We could have been headed right into a death trap without my assistance."

"How very selfless of you." Cayne mused. "But it looks like we're here." The ship shuddered forward as it came out of hyperspace. Hux stumbled back to his seat. He was determined not to move again until they were safely on solid ground. But Cayne walked back to meet him with the ease of a man wholly unconcerned with their certain death. "Bumpy ride, huh?" He eyed Hux's hands, which were white knuckled around the arms of this chair.

"Who built this piece of scrap?" Hux spat.

"In the Resistance, you take what you can get."

The ship stopped moving with a thud, and Hux was glad at least that part of the journey was over. He sighed in relief. He stood up and grabbed his only bag of belongings. Cayne had several canvas bags, and one military grade case. He strapped them onto his back like a makeshift pack and R9 took the cue to open the hatch.

The planet looked nothing like what Hux imagined it would. He'd expected at least some semblance of civilization, but this was barren. The ship had landed nearest a small flat building, but beyond that there was nothing. Something was off, Hux knew the Empire wouldn't have bothered building one pathetic structure. He looked further and understood. What had first appeared to be a simple dip in the landscape, now seemed obvious. They were craters left behind by a great amount of force. The little foundation from where the other buildings once stood, was now cracked and broken. Even from a distance, Hux could see the grass growing defiantly through the cracks.

"Not bad huh?" Cayne said with a smile.

"You have got to be joking." Hux said dryly.

"I mean, sure it needs a few repairs, but at least it's still got a roof."

"Is that your standard of living? A roof?" Hux retorted.

"Well, for the time being, yes. So let's make the most of it."

Hux rolled his eyes. "Insufferable man." He said under his breath. 

When they got to the door of the building, they quickly realized that it was jammed shut. 

"Does this building even still have power?" Hux complained.

"That looks like a no." Cayne said pushing on the door. He took off his pack and rummaged through one of his bags until he found what he was looking for. It was a small metal tool with various sharp edges on one side, and a button on the other. Without a second thought he jimmied the sharp edge next to the keypad and pressed the button. There was a spark of electricity and the door unlocked. Cayne had to force it all the way open, but at least now there was a way inside. 

R9 turned on his front light to illuminate their path.

Cayne spoke first as they entered the structure."We need to find the generator first, get some lights going. Then we'll make a plan from there." 

"Agreed." Hux added.

From what little he could see, Hux already hated the place. It was years out of operation, unkept, and left to rot on this forgotten planet. His leg was starting to hurt again, but he'd be damned if he was going to sit on anything in this coffin of a place. He sighed and trudged forward.

They followed R9 down a long hallway to the generator room. Again, Cayne had to use his tool to force open the door. Inside the room, there was a thin layer of dust covering various consoles and machinery. "Your turn." Cayne said smugly.

"Me?" Hux said lifting an eyebrow. "Can't you do it?"

"I mean I  _ could _ , but I might make it worse. Besides I thought engineering was one of your strong suits?"

Hux rolled his eyes at the man and dug his gloves out of the parcel he carried. He shot Cayne a warning glance, just for good measure.

Cayne watched him work. As he directed R9 to run odd jobs, Hux checked the wiring under one of the consoles. It was amazing to see the efficiency with which Hux worked, there seemed to be an almost earnestness in his hyperfocus. It wasn't long before the lights flickered back on, and the gentle hum of the air filtration system filled the room.

"Nice work." Cayne said impressed.

Hux took off his gloves with a bit more flair than was strictly necessary. "Oh please." He said brushing off his sleeve. 

Cayne rolled his eyes at the gesture. "Well, let's scope out the rest of this place. That should give us a good starting point." Hux agreed, and they left the generator room, to get a better understanding of their surroundings. The building had a small, but useful industrial kitchen, as well as several larger rooms, presumably used by officers or other officials. Then, there was a hallway of rooms with solid metal doors that had once been used by the Empire for solitary confinement. Neither one of them made any move to investigate them, and in a silent agreement, they turned back to where the officers quarters had been. 

Hux was surprised when Cayne told him to pick the first room, not that he minded of course. But since the rooms were mostly the same, Hux settled on one of the more interior rooms, and Cayne chose the room across from it. Each room had a decent sized bed, but the blankets were covered in a thin film of dust. 

"Someone really ought to call for room service." Cayne said playfully. 

Hux cracked a smile in spite of himself. " I don't suppose you saw a laundry facility?"

"Can't honestly say that I checked." Cayne said with a grin.

"Of course not." Hux mused, rubbing his temples.

"Why don't you rest your leg, and I'll see if there's a laundry facility in this place?"

Hux didn't argue with him. His leg was in real pain now, and there was a stiffness in his chest he didn't like. Limping over to a leather chair in his new room, he reached into his parcel and pulled out his old undershirt. There was a burn mark near the center that had been covered over with blood. He pushed the thought away and used it to dust off the chair, tossing it idly to the floor. He sat down with a huff.

R9 warbled a note of concern, but Hux dismissed it passively. He would rest for a moment and let Cayne do most of the work.

A while later Cayne appeared back in his doorway looking frustrated. "Well I've got some good news and I've got some bad news." He started. "Good news is, there is a washer, bad news is the dryer's toast."

"Great." Hux groaned. "What are we supposed to do about that?"

"Glad you asked, because you're going to help me put up a line to dry things on." There was a smug tone in his voice.

"And why would I do that exactly?" 

"Because it's that, or your dusty sheets." He said pointing to the bed. "And I've seen how much you love dirt and grime."

"Fine." Hux said bitterly.

Then Cayne went to work gathering up washables. Before he left the room again he tossed a bag to Hux who was still sitting in the chair. "You should eat something." Cayne said.

Hux eyed the contents suspiciously. It was a dried meat of some sort, and he was repulsed at the very notion. He pocketed the bag, keen on ignoring it. Then Cayne was gone for some time, and the silence allowed Hux to relax if only a little. When the man returned, he was carrying a long rope and his knife. Cayne tossed him the rope, wished him well, and promptly disappeared back through the doorway muttering something about dinner.

Hux sighed and picked up the rope. "I guess this is my job now isn't it?" He said to R9. The droid chirped back in encouragement. "I must be going mad." He said looking back at the droid.

The door to the building was still open, and it bothered Hux to see the traces of dirt marking their way along the floor. He made a mental note to fix that later. Once he made his way outside, he scanned the area for an easy spot to set up the line. 

Not far from where the ship had landed, there was a line of trees just past a field of tall dry grass. It would be easy enough to tie the line between two of them, and it was still close to the building he'd now subconsciously thought of as their base. 

The sun was hot overhead, and he could feel the sweat on his forehead as he limped over to the line of trees with R9 in tow. He made quick work of the first knot, and pulled the length of the rope towards the other nearest tree. It was a decent span of rope, certainly enough for only two people to dry things on. He felt oddly satisfied as he tied the knot off on the second tree. Certainly his work warranted a quick break. He sat down under the shade of the tree and rubbed the sweat off his face with the front of his shirt. He hated to admit it, but he liked the soft knit of the fabric. Things in the First Order were not made with comfort in mind. He looked down at his black officer's boots now paired with the fatigue green pants he'd been given. It was an odd thing, seeing such opposites pieced together. 

Nearby, something moved in the tall grass. Hux shot R9 an anxious look, and the droid scanned the area, finding no threats. "Well, check again. There's something out there." The creature moved again, and R9 was ready to give it a good shock when it poked it's face out of the grass. It was a small orange tabby cat. This seemed to surprise Hux as much as it did R9. He sat unmoving and watched the animal, wondering where it had come from. The cat eyed him suspiciously as it inched forwards towards him. 

As she cleared the field, it was obvious that she had recently sustained an injury to one of her back legs. Most of the wound had already started to scab over, but there was still a slight limp to her walk. She kept her golden eyes on him as she continued her approach. 

"Have you ever seen a person before?" He wondered out loud. He reached his hand out towards her, and she sniffed him cautiously. Then she moved to paw at his pocket. "Oh, something you want?" He asked amused. Hux reached down into his pocket and pulled out the bag of dried meat Cayne had given him. He took out a piece and offered it to her. She took it from his hand and nibbled it graciously. When she was done she meowed for another. "Well aren't you demanding." He said with a smile. Hux tossed her another, and when she had finished that, he reached his hand towards her again. She sniffed his hand again and licked one of his fingers. It surprised him, how rough her little tounge was. He reached to pet her head, and got a swift scratch of reproach. He pulled back sharply as a thin line of red, dotted his hand.

"Ow!" He scolded, but there wasn't any heart in it. The orange tabby was already licking off her paw, as she eyed him curiously. He tossed her another strip of meat, and pulled himself up to stand. 

He forced himself to walk back to the base, and was surprised to find that Cayne wasn't there. That was an inconvenience, he was the only one that knew where to find the laundry facility. Hux sighed. Because Cayne was nowhere to be found, he had to actually look for the place, an otherwise avoidable exertion.

When he finally found the room, he was pleased to find there were still several working hover-carts. He smiled at his good fortune, and got to work unloading the bed linens. The wet sheets and blankets were heavier than he expected, and he wondered if the fatigue was catching up to him. His stomach whined with hunger. Reluctantly, he pulled the bag of dried meat from his pocket. He sniffed at a piece suspiciously before giving it a tentative bite. It wasn't bad, really. It was dry, but it did have a bite of seasoning he couldn't place. He ate a few pieces as he tried to will the energy back into his limbs.

Something brushed against his leg, and he jumped in spite of himself. It was the little ginger cat again. She looked up at him and meowed.

"Oh am I not allowed to eat?" Hux said back.

The little tabby went back to brushing up against his legs and rubbing her chin against the top of his boot. He reached down and let her sniff his hand again. This time she all but pushed her face into his hand. He resigned himself to adoring her as he sat down on the edge of the cart. She was a beautiful thing really, soft, but dangerous. That was something he could appreciate. Who knew if she was giving him a false sense of security? Maybe in the next minute she'd be trying to tear his skin off again.

She hopped up onto the cart and curled up next to his hurt leg. He smiled down at her and pulled his feet up to sit cross legged. "R9 can you get this cart where it needs to go?" 

The droid chirped in response and looped a metal tow cable around the handle of the cart. Hux almost laughed at the thought of it all. If someone had told him a month ago he'd be asking a droid to drag him out to hang the laundry, he would have shot them on sight. But Hux was nothing if not a survivor.

When they got outside he could smell something cooking, and he looked over to see Cayne roasting something over a fire. "There is a kitchen, you know." Hux called out.

"Couldn't get the damn thing to start." He shrugged in reply.

Hux rolled his eyes, he'd come back to properly critique Cayne, just as soon as the sheets and blankets were hung to dry.

The sun was lower now, and he could smell how earthy the whole place was. He absently wondered if there was a source of water nearby. Shaking his head, he focused on the task at hand. As soon as R9 had stopped the cart by the line of trees, Hux got to work. He hoped he could spend as little time as possible doing such a menial task.

When he was done, R9 pulled him on the cart over to where Cayne was still tending to his fire pit. The cat watched curiously as little wisps of smoke fluttered around the roasting meat.

"I see you made a friend." Cayne said warmly.

Hux's cheeks flushed at the notion. "A-a friend?" Hux spat back. "I'll have you know this creature is nothing short of a glorified killing machine!" He held up the faint scratch on his hand, as if to offer proof. 

"Uh huh.." Cayne said, clearly amused. Hux followed his eyes to see that the little tabby had taken that moment to stretch out in the sun and paw absently at a speck of dust.

"Do you think it's serious?" Cayne asked biting back a laugh. "You know, the gaping wound on your hand?"

Hux felt the urge to throw something, and cast Cayne a sharp glare. Judging by the heat of his face, he doubted it had the same impact. Even his ears were burning.

Trying desperately to change the subject, Hux asked him about the meat he was cooking. Cayne gave him a suspicious look. "It's local, and it's fresh." He mused. Hux was glad he couldn't tell what kind of creature it was, but he couldn't deny it smelled good.

Hux was content to sit on the edge of the cart and watch Cayne work. In addition to the meat he was roasting, Cayne had also produced two silver packets from one of his bags. With just a bit of water, the mixture puffed up into a kind of bread. By the time he was done, the sun hung low in the sky and cast long shadows across the fine brown dirt of the land.

Cayne held his blade in the fire for a moment before cutting off a piece of meat and plating it. He broke the bread in half and handed Hux a plate.

"Enjoy." Cayne said with a smug grin.

"Am I supposed to just eat this with my hands like an animal?" Hux complained.

"Couldn't find any utensils." Cayne said simply.

With that, Hux resigned himself to his fate. He pinched off a bit of meat at a time looking every bit as dignified as a spoiled child. Apparently Cayne didn't share in his ethics of etiquette, because he didn't bother with the fanfare. He bit off pieces of meat and ate heartily, enjoying his bread.

When they were done, Cayne let Hux go inside before him. He still needed to put out what was left of the fire and bring in the sheets. Hux didn't argue and he walked back to his room with the little pitter patter of paws behind him. He smiled. His leg was feeling much better from the time he'd been sitting and he thought he could risk another shower. 

Each of the officers rooms had their own refresher and he was happy to see that things still looked operational. He let the shower run a long while before he was satisfied any stagnant water had been pushed through the pipes. Then he stripped out of his clothes, and remembered to put his leg brace back on. 

Taking inventory of his new space, he looked through the drawers of the vanity and found a razor and some soap. Going through the motions of shaving was usually nothing but routine for him, but this time he appreciated it just a little more. He took care to leave the sharp lines of his sideburns while ensuring the rest of his face was clean shaven. 

After he showered, he walked back into his room in search of a clean towel. Hux didn't expect to see one neatly folded on his bed that was already made. It was done well even by his standards. He towelled off and dressed for bed. Fatigue was hitting him hard now and his body was begging for sleep. He cut the lights and crawled under the sheets that smelled of clean laundry and dry grass. Hopping up onto the bed, the little orange tabby settled into a comfortable spot right on Hux's chest and soon dozed off. He could feel her small body curled on top of him soothing a warm spot right over his heart, and he slipped into a well deserved and restful sleep.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Millicent and Hux! How cute are they though? Serious props to the SW fandom for looking at this grouchy garbage phoenix husk of a man and thinking: what does he need? A cat.
> 
> Also, thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments. You're comments are always appreciated!! 
> 
> I'd also like to thank @partialresonan1 on Twitter for introducing me the wonderful phrase "garbage phoenix." I've enjoyed it a lot.
> 
> And as always if like to thank my lovely wife and avid reader @reywhomst for her insight and appreciation.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old habits die hard, Hux is a little shit who should mind his business. But he won't do that any time soon.

Hux woke slowly in the darkened room. It was warm in his bed, and he could still feel the small weight on his chest. It seemed lighter somehow than it had the night before. Shifting to pull an arm out from beneath the warmth of the covers, he reached out to feel the soft fur of the orange tabby, and felt something unfamiliar instead.

In the other room, Cayne had woken early and was passing time before the day had to start. He was lounging in nothing but his boxers and watching a particularly bad Holo, when he heard the screaming start.

Instinctively he grabbed his blade and rushed into Hux's room. He expected to see some unexpected intruder about to slit Hux's throat, instead, what he saw was the former general of the First Order screaming as he ripped his shirt off spouting an endless deluge of obscenities.

Cayne lowered his blade confused. "What's going on?" He asked.

" _ Shit _ shit _ shit _ shit!" Hux howled. "Millicent! She, she, she."

" _ Who  _ is Millicent?" Cayne interrupted.

"The cat! The cat brought some disgusting rodent thing into my bed!" Hux wailed. He was rubbing his arms in a fit.

At this, Cayne couldn't help but laugh. The entire spectacle of the situation amused him to no end. He walked over to the pile of blankets that were haphazardly thrown across the bed. With a smirk, he pulled back a blanket to see a small black rodent. It was obviously dead. "So this is Millicent's work huh?" 

Cayne was still laughing, but Hux was clearly not amused. "Get rid of the damn thing!" 

"Oh that little guy?" Cayne pointed. 

Hux shuddered audibly. "Yes, you idiot! Get that! That thing out of my room this instant!" He stammered.

Cayne laughed again. He bundled up the blankets with the rat still inside. Millicent, who had been watching the scene play out from under the safety of a nearby table, came out to voice her displeasure. Cayne stooped down to pet her. "What a good little hunter you are." He said with a grin. Then he stood and pulled the bundle of sheets behind him. 

Hux moved to stand back from Cayne. He had no desire to have a second encounter with that creature. Just thinking about it made his skin crawl. He forced himself to hold some kind of composure, as he met Cayne's eyes. "I'm going to use  _ your _ shower while you dispose of...that." Hux said with a vague gesture. He wasn't asking, and so he left the room before Cayne could say anything about it.

Hux took a long hot shower and tried to scrub away all of the unpleasantness of the morning. Then he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out into Cayne's room. R9 chirped a greeting to him, but Cayne was nowhere to be found. This was certainly an opportunity Hux wasn't going to pass up. He went over to where Cayne had left his things in a heap on the floor. He opened the metal case first. 

It was a military grade case, but the white polish of the plastoid was scratched and marred. Inside there was a heavy blaster that appeared to have been modified. What was once standard issue, now looked more like a mercenary's weapon. The trigger had been modified to allow the blaster to rapid-fire, and there was a prominent barrel shroud that had several deep cuts in the metal. Hux made a mental note of it before he closed the case to look through the other bags. 

Among Cayne's things, there were clothes and several tools that Hux doubted were legal in most systems. The thing that really stood out to him was a data chip that was hidden in one of the bag's lining. He meticulously replaced all of the items as he'd found them, all except the data chip. 

R9 warbled with unease. "Don't give me that." Hux complained. "You never know who you can trust. It's always better to know what you're really dealing with." He sighed. "Can you show me what's on it?" 

R9 wheeled over to him hesitantly, but conceded his point. An access port opened on the droid's front and Hux inserted the chip. The holo-projector flickered a light blue as the image came to life. Most of what Hux could see were files on various trooper numbers. There was a compilation of details regarding the stormtrooper program, but given Hux's involvement, it seemed a pitiful amount of knowledge. Then there was a file regarding details about Hux. His eyes narrowed. Hux skimmed through details about his rise to power, and involvement on Starkiller base.  _ So this is what Cayne was really up to _ , he thought.

Hux considered it for a moment. He was trapped on a deserted planet and completely at the mercy of whatever this man had in store for him. Hux could feel the pit in his stomach tighten.  _ This isn't over yet.  _ He thought.  _ He doesn't know what I know.  _ His mind raced through both possibilities and plans until he saw a data file that grabbed his attention. It was a correspondence dated the night Hux had come to the Resistance base, and it was between Cayne and none other than General Poe Dameron.

"Play the file R9." The droid did as he was asked, but the hint of worry was evident in his synthesized tones.

First, there was static, then a clear male voice.

_ "This is Poe." His voice sounded strained, like he might have been running. _

_ "Sorry to interrupt General, but I need to ask you about something." _

_ "Kinda busy at the moment Cayne, can we talk later?" _

_ There was a pause. _

_ "Is it true?" Cayne asked, his voice low and firm. "About your rescue. It's really Hux isn't it?" _

_ Another pause. _

_ "Yeah, we got him. He's in bad shape, but it looks like he'll make it." Poe said. _

_ "Good. Consider me officially volunteering for the position."  _

_ "And what position is that exactly?" Poe asked. _

_ Cayne huffed. "There isn't a person in the damn galaxy that doesn't know what he's done." He said. "You can't just throw him in a cell, not when you can't be sure who to trust. Besides, the Resistance can't afford a team to keep him under surveillance."  _

_ "You're right about that. We're already stretched thin enough as it is." Poe sighed. "So what, you're volunteering to be his keeper?" _

_ "His keeper, his guard.. whatever the Resistance needs." Cayne added. _

_ "You're sure about this? I need you to be absolutely sure." Poe waited for his response. _

_ "You know I am. I'm asking you to let me do this."  _

_ "Okay okay, just don't make me regret this, we'll talk details later." _

The audio cut off and Hux stared in silence for a moment. Cayne had asked for this? Why? Was it to torture or kill him? If that's what he'd wanted Cayne had already passed up multiple opportunities. Was it to gain his trust? Pull the truth out of him and then throw him away? It seemed like the most likely solution. 

R9 made a sound that pulled Hux from his thoughts. "I don't know what it means." He lied. "But if we stay here too long he'll get suspicious." R9 said something of an agreement, and Hux was careful to hide the data chip back in it's hidden spot.

Hux walked back to his room, and found the bed neatly made. Millicent sat in the middle of it, and opened one sleepy eye to greet him. "You've caused more than enough trouble today." Hux scolded. Millicent stretched into a yawn, then she hopped down to scrub at his feet. He rolled his eyes, but reached down to pet her anyway. "Don't think I've gone soft." He mused with a smile. It was difficult being mad at her, and normally that would be something Hux critiqued in himself. He had always kept his appearance in check. Ever since he had made officer, he'd been meticulous in both his uniform, and the web of lies he spun. But now, here he was talking to both a cat and a droid that somehow belonged to him.

He shook the thought away and got dressed, taking care to part his hair just-so. It was still an odd thing seeing himself in white shirts and olive pants. His boots were looking particularly scuffed as well. He sighed. That would be something to take care of later. First breakfast, then he would find a computer. 

He found Cayne just where he'd expected to: finishing up making breakfast by the fire pit. "No luck with the kitchen?" Hux asked.

"Figured this was faster." Cayne said with a grin. He was finishing up making some sort of sweet bread and Hux could see there was a rudimentary kettle set up for caf. 

"I see." Hux added with an eyebrow arched. 

"How do you take your caf?" Cayne asked already getting him a cup.

"Oh, who said I do?" Hux asked coyly.

"Fine, suit yourself. Just more for me then." Cayne wasn't sure if it was the truth or a bluff, but he was willing to play along.

"Milk then, a dash of sugar if you have it." Hux sat down and rubbed a cuticle silently.

Cayne rolled his eyes, but made Hux's caf how he wanted it. They ate and talked, but while Cayne was going over the daily to-do list, all Hux could think about was the data chip hidden in Cayne's things. 

When he was done, Hux stood to leave. 

"Wait a minute." Cayne said. "I found something you could really use." Hux crossed his arms skeptically as he watched him go into the building and then reappear with a slim black cane. "For you." He said, and he tossed it to Hux. 

Hux caught it reflexively and looked down at its shiny lacquer. "Where did you even find this?" His brow furrowed and his nose wrinkled in confusion.

Cayne smirked. "Oh, just around." He said unconvincingly.

Hux wasn't sure what to make of that, but in any case he wasn't sure he really wanted to know. "Right then." Hux said with skepticism. "You wouldn't happen to know where the control center of this place is, do you?" 

Cayne considered him for a moment. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was on the other side of solitary."

"The sooner I find a map of this place, the better." Hux said under his breath. 

Cayne wished him luck as he walked back into the building. The cane did help with his limp. Between it and the brace, he was making much better time getting around. Still, he hated the thought of having to use them and would be glad when his leg had healed properly.

Hux walked the route that they had made only yesterday, until he came to the long hallway of cells. It was an eerie quiet there, and he could only hear the heels of his boots and the ping of the cane on the tile floors. At the end of the hallway there was a locked door. It was wider than the other doors that flanked the hallway on both sides, and it seemed like it had been made out of a more brilliant metal.

The lock was an annoyance, but it was hardly a complex task. He looked over his shoulder for good measure, and then he pulled a small compact knife from his sleeve. He slid the blade under the panel covering with a practiced ease. An almost nostalgic smile pulled at his lips. It had been a long time since he didn't have the clearance to open a lock. He made quick work of the wiring. Then, with a spark the door slid open leaving the smell of ozone and burnt wires in its wake.

There was a long row of computers that lined the far side of the room. In the center there was a semicircle console that looked like it was once used for surveillance. Covering it all, there was a fine layer of dust. His nose curled in disgust as he blew the dust away. Then he booted up the long dead relics of the Empire. It took less time than he thought it would. Honestly, he wasn't sure they would work at all, but with a bit of luck the room flickered a light blue as the holo-screens finally turned on.

The door slid open behind him and R9 appeared in the doorway with Millicent in tow. "Oh have you two come to help?" Hux asked. R9 beeped an affirmative while Millicent went to scouting out the new space. 

Getting the software up to date was a time consuming process, and Hux was silently grateful that the First Order had used the same framework of programming. It would take several hours to be able to fully access the intricate parts of the First Order mainframe. Still, there was plenty of work to do, so while R9 worked on the software, Hux cleaned the room to his satisfaction.

Several hours passed, and Hux stretched his arms over his head. He must have fallen asleep because when he threatened to move, there was a whine of protest from the orange tabby in his lap. Evidently she had fallen asleep too. He smiled and scratched her chin. 

Checking on the update, he spun in his chair to face R9. The droid elicited a series of beeps and whirrs. "What do you mean it's been done for some time? How long were you going to let me sit here wasting time?" The droid made a motion that, if Hux didn't know better, seemed like a shrug. He sighed. 

He rolled his chair over to the console, careful not to disturb Millicent, and set about accessing the First Order system. His access codes still worked. First, he looked up what information the Order had on his whereabouts. The screen showed an image of him with the word "missing" blinking in red. According to their data, his last known location was Exegol. So they didn't know he was a spy, and they certainly didn't know he was here on a Resistance outpost, if one could call it that. The only people who had known met their end in the skies over Exegol. Hux was grateful for that at least. 

A thought occurred to him, and he typed in Cayne's trooper number. The screen displayed his picture, but it was barely recognizable. Cayne's eyes looked dead and hollow, and his hair was buzzed short against his head. He looked rather menacing, quite unlike the man that Hux had interacted with so far. Next to his photo, the words were again in red. "Trooper CN3142, Deceased." Hux's mouth drew back in a thin smile until he read Cayne's last known location: "reconditioning, sector B4, cell 10." 

His stomach dropped. Hux knew all too well what happened to troopers that underwent reconditioning. What scaffolding Brendol had put into place, Armitage had sharpened and polished. There was a good reason Armitage had been so sure of his troops, because if they dared to fail him they would truly wish they were dead. The careful reprogramming of the human mind took discipline and spite, and at the time he'd known the necessity of it. But now with his life in the hands of someone who had survived that programming, his certainly waivered. 

For the first time there was a name to one of those tortured souls. The man who had made him breakfast just hours ago, had likely been starved and drugged per his design. A nauseous feeling washed over him and he tried to push it away. He had real work to do, whatever happened to Cayne during that time was not his problem, or at least that's what he tried to tell himself. 

Switching gears, he looked to see if there were functioning factions of the First Order still out there. He knew there would be, it would be just like last time. First a mad dash into wild space, the outer rim, or any place that would offer them refuge. Then they would wait, rebuild, and when they were ready, they would return. But maybe not, Hux thought as he brought up a star map. This time he could do something about it. Several planets were lit in red, these were the planets that the First Order had lost. There were others still lit in blue, and it was this that Hux was looking for. The survivors. Clustered throughout the outer rim, and edging out into the unknown regions, there was a sect of First Order ships. Hux presumed by the looks of it, that whatever cells had been scattered throughout the galaxy, had managed to cobble themselves together into a fleet of worrying size. Hux shot his droid a nervous look. "R9 transmit this map to General Dameron. He'll want to see this." 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rat may or may not be based on a story involving my mother-in-law???
> 
> Also there will def be smut in the future of this fic, and it will be worth the wait.
> 
> Also, thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments, you guys feed me.
> 
> And a special thanks to my lovely wife @reywhomst who is in her own words "a rabid reader"
> 
> Find me on Twitter @1manstrash2

**Author's Note:**

> So the garbage man lives!! This idea has been pong-ing around in my brain since TROS. many ideas have come from many conversations with my lovely wife @reywhomst  
> Comments appreciated~


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